DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claim(s) 1-4, 9, 11, and 12 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sasaki et al. (2002/0137852) in view of Chen (2015/0011711). Claim 1, Sasaki discloses a golf ball comprising a core and a cover of at least one layer encasing the core, wherein the core is formed of a rubber composition which includes: (a) a base rubber, (b) a co-crosslinking agent which is an α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid or a metal salt thereof or both, (c) a filler, and (d) a crosslinking initiator (abstract) [0021], the base rubber (a) has a polybutadiene content of at least 60 wt% [0014] and a syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene content of from 5 to 30 wt% [0013]. Sasaki does not disclose large amounts of an inorganic filler for an increased specific gravity. Kim teaches the amount of filler for increasing the specific gravity in the amounts of 10 to 80 phr [0063-0064]. The increased level of filler will increase the specific gravity above 1. Since the materials are the same the initial velocity will also be the same. One of ordinary skill in the art would increase the specific gravity of the core to control the weight distribution for flight performance. Claim 2, the materials are the same, the difference between the initial velocities at 0°C and 24°C of 2.0 m/s will also be the same. Claim 3, Sasaki discloses the filler (c) is an inorganic filler [0009]. Claim 4, Sasaki discloses the inorganic filler is one or more selected from the group consisting of zinc oxide, barium sulfate, calcium carbonate and silicon dioxide (silica) [0020]. Claim 9, Sasaki discloses the cover has an outermost layer that is formed of a resin composition composed primarily of a urethane resin or an ionomer resin [0027]. Claim 11, the syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene includes syndiotactic 1,2-polybtadiene having a melting point of 150°C or more is satisfied. Sasaki discloses RB820 as the syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene [0041], which is identical to applicant’s. Claim 12, the syndiotactic 1,2-polybutadiene is dispersed in a fibrous manner within the core is a method step that does not further limit the final product. One of ordinary skill in the art would increase the specific gravity of the core to control the weight distribution for flight performance.
Claim(s) 5-6 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sasaki et al. (2002/0137852) in view of Chen (2015/0011711), and further in view of Moore et al. (4,076,255). Moore teaches an alkoxy coupling agent (col. 5, lines 16-29). One of ordinary skill in the art would have includes a coupling agent to promote adhesion between the filler (silica) and the rubber.
Claim(s) 7 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sasaki et al. (2002/0137852) in view of Chen (2015/0011711), and further in view of Suzuki et al. (2009/0105401). Suzuki teaches a silane modified rubbers [0075]. One of ordinary skill in the art would have modified the core rubber for enhanced durability.
Claim(s) 8 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sasaki et al. (2002/0137852) in view of Chen (2015/0011711), and further in view of Ichikawa et al. (2015/0087442). Ichikawa teaches a hindered phenol antioxidant [0053]. One of ordinary skill in the art would have modified the core for enhanced resiliency.
Claim(s) 10 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sasaki et al. (2002/0137852) in view of Chen (2015/0011711), and further in view of Ohira et al (2009/0143170). Sasaki discloses a two-piece golf ball comprising a single-layer core and a single-layer cover, wherein the cover is formed of a urethane resin [0026-0027]. Ohira teaches a core is a halogenation-treated core (abstract). One of ordinary skill in the art would have modified the core for good feel and high durability.
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to RAEANN GORDEN whose telephone number is (571)272-4409. The examiner can normally be reached Monday-Friday 8am-5pm.
Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice.
If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Eugene Kim can be reached at 571-272-4463. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000.
/RAEANN GORDEN/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 3711
August 28, 2026
Prosecution Insights